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Historically, the Jathadar in the Takhat is a religious as well as a political leader governing matters in the Khalsa Panth. A Jathadar is also a community leader of high calibre and practice who leads the missal.
The Missal system was a way of dividing up the community to perform duties and for the function of collecting funds in the time of the Gurus. There were 12 missals. Today any community can be divided into a missal system to carry out the group functions of the community as well as the seva in the Gurudwara. These functions could include: preparation of the Guru's Lungar, reading in the Akhand Path, clean up, as well as any duties that need to be performed for communication and care of the community.
Each Missal has its own leader or Jathadar. The Head Jathadar meets with all the Jathadars of each Missal in order to manage the requirements of the community.
